Just Run
by Cerabius
Summary: This is the start of a story I submitted to a contest. The judges liked it, but I'm changing the ending. Tell me what you think.


Huff huff. All I can hear are my breaths and sneakers hitting the pavement in a   
steady beat. Huff, stomp stomp, huff. Pictures are buzzing in my head, pictures I don't   
want to see. Pictures of the sales clerk, pictures of the man in the green coat. Pictures   
of Lisa. " No Sandy, stop. Just stop. Keep running. Just run." No matter how hard I try   
to block them out, the pictures play over and over again in my head like a movie, and I   
can't help but let them.  
I guess it was mostly my fault. Lisa didn't want to go out shopping today, but I   
talked her into it. More like forced her, and she gave in and agreed to go. I had to buy   
new jeans, and there was a sale today. We thought it was just going to be a short trip to   
the store. What could possibly go wrong? A lot of things, that's what.   
We drove my car, a beat up, rusted blue Chevy that didn't start all the time. At   
least it was wheels, and it got me where I needed to go; most of the time, anyway. As soon   
as we parked in the old parking lot and got out, a loud POP came from under the hood.   
"Uh oh, that can't be good." Lisa said. I knew exactly what was wrong. This   
happens all the time.  
"It's nothing. The engine just over heated. It should start again in about 3 hours.   
Until then, we're stuck." What a great place to be stuck- right in front of all the best   
stores having the biggest sales! This shouldn't be too bad, it'll give us plenty of time   
to shop.  
We decided to go into some old "going-out-of-buisness" store first and bargain-buy   
some of last season's fashions. It was a cute shop with old movie posters on the walls and   
an old pop machine with real glass bottles. We went to the right side of the small store   
and were going to work our way to the other side. We were the only ones in the store, which   
surprised me for a minute, but the paranoid thoughts vanished as Lisa held an orange shirt   
up to herself and asked me what I thought. We giggled over ugly shirts and piled as many   
shorts over our arms as we could.  
We stopped talking for a minute to look at spring jackets when the bell on the   
entrance door dinged. A tall, husky man in a puffy green coat walked into the store. As soon   
as I saw him, I knew something about him was off. I don't know what it was about him, he just   
seemed sneaky and worked up. Lisa went over to the pajama section at the other end of the store.   
I stayed hidden behind the jacket rack. Through the spaces between the coats, I could see the   
man walk up the the sales clerk. He handed her a little slip of yellow paper. I saw the clerk   
read it, and her eyes got wide, her cheeks turned red and her lower lip began to quiver.   
He pulled out a small hand gun from his enormous coat with one hand, and with the other hand,   
he held a finger up to his lips and whispered, "Shhhh".  
She nodded hard and fast until her hair was spilling out of her tight ponytail and   
into her face. I could see she was crying now. I followed the man's eyes. He was looking at   
Lisa. Her back was turned to him, she hadn't seen what I had! " Keep looking Lisa, please   
don't turn around," I thought. The man hadn't seen me. If only I could get Lisa's attention   
to duck or something, but if I move or make even the slightest sound, he'll kill us both for   
sure. As soon as the man got the money from the register, he winked and pulled the trigger.   
The sales clerk fell to the floor, and I saw the nice white carpet around her turn blood red.   
I covered my mouth and sank to the floor. I could only see her feet, but I knew Lisa had seen   
the man. Another shot rang out, and now I could see all of Lisa: her gorgeous blond hair stained   
red, the shirt I gave her for her birthday last year seeping with blood, and her ghastly face.   
Her eyes were open wide, and her mouth had a drip of blood coming out from the corner. I saw the   
man's shoes turn toward the door and leave. I waited a minute for him to be far enough away,   
and I ran to Lisa.  
"Lisa, Lisa, are you okay? Please say something, anything! Lisa, don't leave me!   
Please Lisa, no..." I rambled on like this until I was sure she was gone. Her face had turned   
as white as her socks, and she was colder than an ice cube. I stood up, tears falling down my   
face, makeup smeared and hands red from touchy Lisa, trying to wake her up. I sniffled my tears   
back. "Now is a time to be strong Sandy. Do it for Lisa. Go, run and get help. Just run."   
Nausea rushed over me and my legs were wobbly, but I managed to get out of the store and start   
running. The police station was only a few blocks away. If I hurried, there still might be a   
chance.   
So here I am, running faster than I ever had before. I only have a block to go. I lift   
my right shoe to take another big step forward, and I must not have lifted it far enough. I   
tripped and fell, hard, on the cement. I laid there for a minute, pain shooting up my arm and   
a drop of blood forming on my knee. " Get up Sandy, what are you doing? Get up, get help!   
Just Run!"  
I scramble to my feet, now realizing how stupid I was to just lay there.  
The police station is getting closer, and I concentrate all my energy into getting   
to the door. Finally I turn into the parking lot and heave myself against the heavy door.   
I'm crying so hard, I can't see who's who or where I'm going. I can see a blue blur in front   
of me telling me to calm down and explain what was wrong. I throw myself on the tiled floor   
and let exhaustion take me over. I wail my story as loud as I can hoping it will somehow hurry   
an ambulance to the store for Lisa.   
I can feel the blue blob pick me up and carry me somewhere behind the front desk. I'm   
laid on a stiff cot and a rough, scratchy blanket is laid over me. When I open my eyes and   
blink away the tears, I'm all alone.  
  
  
**Ok, now that you read part of my story, tell me what you think. Should I keep going, or   
should I stop? You make the call.** 


End file.
